Luggage retailer Bentley Group has hired Narrative PR as its public relations agency of record, following a competitive pitch process.
Montreal-based Bentley Group, which was founded in 1987, has never had a formal PR partner. The move was spearheaded by chief marketing officer Stéphanie Bleau, who joined the company from Reitman’s early last year.
Narrative was the right fit because “they are just the right size, they’re sharp from a communications point of view and they understand the world of marketing because they’re affiliated with [Bensimon Byrne],” said Bleau. “In the end, it’s all about the people and who you trust and it clicked with Narrative.”
While Bentley has high brand awareness among Canadians, “we want people to start talking about Bentley and have us more top of mind throughout the year and not just when we have product to promote,” Bleau told Marketing.
To achieve that, Narrative PR will deploy a traditional PR strategy tied to the fashion media’s editorial calendars, complemented by an influencer strategy, said Lindsay Mattick, VP of strategy & creative at Narrative PR.
“Whether it’s gift guides, planning a spring vacation or back to school… there are so many times of year when Bentley would really fit into people’s lives, so we’re looking to tell those stories,” she said.
Narrative is also handling PR for the launch of Bentley’s new banner, Blackbook Travel Co., which will focus on premium travel products targeted at the jet-set crowd.
Bentley Group currently has more than 400 retail stores that sell luggage, purses, backpacks and briefcases under the banners Bentley, Access and Unic.
